MinGW - Minimalist GNU for Windows

The fix for this bug was applied to CVS and a new snapshot was uploaded:

http://downloads.sourceforge.net/mingw/coreutils-5.97-MSYS-1.0.11-snapshot.tar.bz2

Thanks,
Cesar

The heuristics can be turned off on Business and Ultimate editions of
Vista through the "Local Security Policy" found under Administrative Tools.
Look under "Local Policies / Security Options / User Account Control:
Detect application installations and prompt for elevation". I don't think
the security policy editor is included in home editions, but there should
be a registry hack which would have the same effect.

As I understand it, the heuristics are not designed to improve security by
preventing these programs from running, but to allow legacy installers
(which require access to Program Files etc. but don't "know" how to use UAC
to ask for admin access themselves) to work in Vista by elevating them.
It's part of the compatibility stuff to help old programs which don't know
about Vista's security to work with it.

Thanks, Mark. I will include the manifest files in the next MSYS release.

Regards,
Cesar

Yeah, I saw this discussed on one of the Cygwin lists, a while back; IIRC,
there were a number of strings, which if they appeared *anywhere* in the
command name, would block that command from execution by any user without
admin privilege. Among them were "*setup*" and "*instal*", (one "l"
sufficient); I think there were others, which I can't remember now.

Speaks volumes for the inherently crap design of Vista's security model,
when they have to rely on such insane heuristic techniques to implement
what should be file system level security; indeed, any algorithm based on
heuristics should probably be classed as "broken by design".

I think the Cygwin folks concluded that the only way around this BS was to
install the appropriate manifest files. (My solution, of course, would be
to run Linux, and forget about Vista forever :) Sadly, there will be too
many lemmings, only too willing to throw their money into Microsoft's
coffers, in return for nothing beyond the satisfaction of contributing
further to Bill's ever increasing wealth).

Is there a feature to turn off the insane heuristic?

"... you have come to a sad realization."

I should have added... I understand there is a way of including these
manifest files as resources within the .exe's themselves, which would avoid
the need for the separate files. I'm not sure of how to do this though, nor
whether it is possible without using MS tools. In any case, including them
as separate file alongside the .exe's works.

By the way:
$ uname -a
MINGW32_NT-6.0 MBOURNE 1.0.10(0.46/3/2) 2004-03-15 07:17 i686 unknown
in case that is relevant.

Uploaded install-info.exe.manifest
File Added: install-info.exe.manifest